Heavy rains have battered Thailand’s West, North and Northeast over the past few weeks, causing dams to fill up early in the annual wet season, threatening to flood downstream areas.
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) said that from today until Thursday, “a monsoonal trough will lie across the upper North and upper Northeast while the southwest monsoon will strengthen across the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Outbreaks of more rain, as well as isolated heavy downpours will be expected.”
Meanwhile heavy rains are causing problems a lot further South, with residents in low-lying parts of Phetchaburi province being warned to brace for flash floods with the local Kaeng Krachan dam expected to reach maximum capacity on Sunday.
Heavy rainfall has hit Phetchaburi and nearby provinces over recent days causing huge amounts of water to flow into the dam. The dam was reported to be at 97 per cent capacity as of Saturday evening with water starting to flow into the spillways, threatening downstream villages.
“Ships should proceed with caution, and small boats should stay ashore. People along the coast of the western South and the East should beware of strong winds,” the TMD warned.
The forecast says that scattered to fairly widespread thundershowers with isolated heavy rain will persist until Friday. From Phuket northwards, there will be southwesterly winds of between 20 to 45 kilometres per hour, waves two to four metres high and above four metres high in areas getting thundershowers.
